| A |
| acid rain: |
rain that is formed when sulphur dioxide combines
with water vapour and falls to the earth
|
| algae: | single-celled plants containing chlorophyll
|
| algicide: | chemical that kills algae when added to the water
|
| ammonia: | a strong smelling colourless gas consisting of nitrogen
and hydrogen
|
| amphibian: | a cold-blooded vertebrate animal that spends the
first stage in their life cycle in water, and the second stage on
land
|
| ANSI: | Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest which are
recognized as centers of species and habitat richness
|
| aquarium: | artificial pond or tank designed to house live aquatic
plants and animals
|
| aquatic: | growing or living in water
|
| aquifer: | porous, water-saturated layers of sand, gravel, or bed
rock that can yield an economically significant amount of water
|
| B |
| Bacillus thuringiensis: | a bacteria which produces a toxin which
is poisonous to soft bodied invertebrates. The bacteria interferes
with digestion and the insect larva dies.
|
| base flow: | the portion of a streams flow contributed by ground
water, seepage, or water moving over the land
|
| biodiversity: | variety of different species
|
| biomass: | the weight of all organic matter in the ecosystem
|
| bioregion: | large assemblages of ecosystems defined by some
geological feature like a large river boundary or height of land
|
| biotic: | the living components of an ecosystem
|
| biotic community: | a community of living organisms
|
| bog: | peat accumulating acidic wetland dominated by mosses
and little inflow or outflow
|
| bottomland/riverine: | usually located along river floodplains;
may be seasonally flooded. Often located at bottom of steep
slopes and fill with spring meltwater or seepage from the slope.
Created by river scouring during floods or old river scars and
oxbows.
|
| buffer: | an area or zone designated to remain or be enhanced to
reduce the impact or an adjacent activity
|
| C |
| carnivore: | organism that feeds on animal tissue
|
| colonize: | the first to arrive at a new habitat
|
| conservation: | resources should be used, managed and protected
so they will not be degraded and unnecessarily wasted and will
be available to present and future generations
|
| contours: | lines on a map connecting points of equal elevation
|
| cryptic species: | plants and animals that have pattern, colour or
behaviour that makes then difficult to find or distinguish in
their environment
|
| D |
| deciduous plants: | trees such as oaks and maples, and other
plants that survive during dry seasons or cold seasons by shed
ding their leaves
|
| detritus: | fresh to partly decomposed plant and animal matter
|
dewatering
(water drawdown): | to remove water from a wetland
|
| dike: | a raised bank constructed to prevent flooding
|
| dispersal corridor: | well defined area in which animals and
plants move; see habitat corridor
|
| drawdown: | see dewatering
|
| E |
| ecology: | the study of the interactions of living organisms with
one another and with their non-living environment
|
| ecosystem: | community of different species interacting with one
another and with the non-living environment
|
| edge environment: | the zone in which two or more different
communities meet and integrate
|
| emergent aquatic plants: | a plant the is rooted in the soil with
most of the stem above water
|
| ephemeral wetland: | seasonal ponds that fill with spring meltwater or after rain, but dry by mid-summer
|
| equilibrium: | a state of balance
|
| ESA: | Environmentally Sensitive Area which is recognized as
centers of species and habitat richness
|
| eutrophication: | nutrient enrichment of a body of water; called
cultural eutrophication when accelerated by introduction of
massive amounts of nutrients by human activity
|
| exotic: | any foreign organism which is introduced to an area
|
| extinction: | complete disappearance of a species from the earth.
This occurs when a species cannot adapt and successfully
reproduce under new environmental conditions or evolves into
one or more new species
|
| F |
| fauna: | referring to animal life
|
| fen: | peat accumulating wetland that has alkaline ground water
inflow from mineral soils
|
| fern glade: | a stand of ferns. Represents the humidity and
moisture favoured by frogs and toads
|
| flora: | referring to plant life
|
| fragmented landscape: | once continuous, but now isolated
landforms or ecosystem
|
| fry: | the immature form of a fish species
|
| G |
| gene pool: | the sum of all the genes of all individuals in a
population
|
| germination: | the growth of a seed under favourable conditions
|
| ground water recharge: | the process that occurs when the water
moves downward through stream channels or recharge wells, to
replenish groundwater
|
| H |
| habitat: | place where a plant or animal lives
|
| habitat corridor: | an area of land such as a linear drainage ditch,
or hedgerow which serves the function of connecting islands of
wildlife habitat
|
| herbicide: | chemical that kills a plant or inhibits its growth
|
| herpetologist: | a person who studies amphibians and reptiles
|
| heterogeneous: | composed of a diverse number of elements
|
| hibernaculum: | a frost free refuge in which animals (i.e. snakes)
hibernate
|
| hibernate: | the period of winter dormancy for certain organisms,
characterized by a great decrease in metabolism
|
| homogeneous: | consisting of all parts of the same kind (uniform)
|
| hydrological profile: | the water characteristic of an area
|
| hydrological "sink": | area in which water accumulates or flows
to
|
| hydrology: | the study of the movement of water
|
| hydroperiod: | the time in which an area is under water
|
| I |
| impervious: | does not let liquid (water) pass through
|
| indicator species: | changes in the abundance or distribution of
these species indicates a change in the habitat which supports
them
|
| infiltration: | downward movement of water through soil
|
| inundation: | overflow or flood with water
|
| invertebrate: | animals that do not have a backbone
|
| L |
| larva: | the immature stage in the life of an animal
|
| lemna: | duck weed
|
| M |
| mammal: | class of animals having mammae for nourishment of
young
|
| marginal plants: | plants which grow around the edge of ponds
|
| marsh: | wetland dominated by emergent plants
|
| microhabitat: | the particular parts of the habitat that an individual encounters in the course of its activities
|
| monoculture: | one type of plant
|
| muskeg: | frozen peatlands
|
| N |
| natural regeneration: | renewed growth of plants occurring
naturally rather than through planting
|
| nitrate: | a chemical used in fertilizer, which can cause water
pollution
|
| nutrient cycle: | pathway of an element or nutrient through the
ecosystem from assimilation by organisms to release by decomposition
|
| nutrient load: | excess nutrients
|
| nutrification: | the process of adding nutrients
|
| O |
| organic: | material containing carbon as the result of once being
alive
|
| overstory: | plants that produce a leaf layer under which other
plants grow
|
| oxygenated: | adding oxygen
|
| oxygenating plants: | plants that produce oxygen
|
| P |
| peak flow: | the highest flow
|
| percolation: | the movement of water through the pore space of
soil
|
| perennial: | a plant that persists and produces reproductive
structures year after year
|
| permeable: | the degree to which water can flow freely from one
pore within rock and soil, to the next
|
| pesticide: | any chemical designed to kill or inhibit the growth of
an organism that people consider to be undesirable
|
| pH | numeric value that indicates the relative acidity or alkalinity
of a substance on a scale of 0 to 14, with the neutral point at 7.
Acid solutions have pH values lower than 7, and basic or
alkaline solutions have pH values greater than 7
|
| phytoplankton: | small, drifting plants, mostly algae and bacteria,
found in aquatic ecosystems
|
pioneer successional
species: | first hardy species, often microbes,
mosses and lichens, that begin colonizing a site at the first stage
of succession
|
| pond aerator: | a mechanical device or pump that increases the
mixing of oxygen into the water
|
| predation: | situation in which an organism (the predator)
captures and feeds on another organism called the prey
|
| presettlement ecosystem: | the mature ecosystem found prior to
clearing or settlement
|
| R |
| regeneration: | generate again; bring into renewed existence
|
| rehabilitation: | restore to proper condition
|
| S |
| saturated: | occurs when a solute can not be further dissolved in a
solution
|
| sedimentation: | the settling of particles on the bottom of a pond
or river
|
| seed bank: | the seeds left in soil which have the potential to
germinate under the appropriate light and moisture conditions
|
| slope profile: | the slope of the banks in a river or pond
|
| soil profile: | cross-sectional view of the horizons in a soil
|
| soil saturation: | soils in which air spaces are filled with water
|
| spawn: | the fertilized eggs of fish or amphibians
|
| species: | a group of organisms that are similar in structure and
can mate and produce fertile offspring
|
| stone rip-rap: | wire cages filled with stone that protect shore
lines from erosion
|
stormwater retention
pond: | a pond which serves the purpose of
temporarily holding excess stormwater in order to prevent
flooding
|
| substrate: | material lining the bottom of a pond
|
| succession: | replacement of one community by another; often
progresses to a stable terminal community called the climax
|
| successional stage: | one community at any given time in the
succession of species
|
| surface runoff: | water flowing off the land into bodies of surface
water
|
| sustainable: | forms of economic growth and activities that do
not deplete or degrade natural resources upon which present
and future economic growth depend
|
| swale: | low area between raised areas of land
|
| swamp: | wetland dominated by trees and shrubs
|
| T |
| tadpole: | aquatic larvae of frog or toad
|
| terrestrial: | referring to the land
|
| toadlet: | newly developed toad
|
| turf: | soil with grass
|
| U |
| ultraviolet inhibitors: | chemicals which reduce damage from UV
light
|
| understory: | lowest level of plants under taller plant species
|
| W |
| watershed: | the entire drainage area of a river or stream and their
tributaries
|
| weir: | a dam created in order to raise the level of the water
behind it
|
| weldmesh: | wire mesh
|
| wetland: | land that is covered all or part of the year with salt
water or fresh water, excluding streams, lakes and the open
ocean
|
| wet meadow: | grassland with waterlogged soil; often inundated
for short periods but without standing water in the growing
season
|
| wild life: | all forms of life within an ecosystem, from microbes
through plants and animals
|
| Z |
| zooplankton: | animal plankton. Small floating herbivores that
feed on plant plankton
|
